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GREER
Perry and Peyton left work a half hour before me. I was waiting for JJ, not wanting to subject him to my mom on his own. At least if she saw me and him at the same time, I’d most likely get the brunt of her. My mom was a great woman, but she was going to hug the hell out of JJ when she met him. She was going to love him. I didn’t worry about that or about her loving Dexen. She’d met him before but hadn’t seen him in years. He was going to join us at the fortress.
JJ was behind me in his truck as we went down the road. A white Audi flew up on JJ a second before we got to my driveway. I saw JJ stick his arm out the window and flip Dexen off.
I hit the button to open the gate. As long as they were right behind me, the sensor would see us as one big vehicle and stay open for them, which it did when we drove through. There were no other cars in the driveway. My brother and Dominic would have already parked in the garage. I hit a second button in my SUV to open my garage door. JJ and Dexen parked in the driveway.
The moment I was out of my vehicle and my feet hit the heated pavement of the driveway, the back door of the house flew open, and my mom came rushing out. I put my phone and keys in my pockets, knowing I’d need my hands free to catch her.
Luann Lynx was a tornado of a woman. She had wavy gray hair cut short on the sides with the top long enough to hit her chin. It was swept off to the side, tucked behind her ear, so it wasn’t in her face. She was five foot four and didn’t hesitate to jump up so she could wrap her arms around my neck. I easily held her. She couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and forty pounds. My brother and I got our height from our dad, who I was reminded of every time I saw her.
“My baby,” she said, her voice shaking.
“Hi, Mom.” I missed her and didn’t care who knew it. My mom was close with Peyton and me. We were all she had after my dad died at work from an accident when Peyton and I were teenagers.
She swatted at me to put her down then made me turn in a circle. “You look good. Healthy. Now I need to see your men.”
JJ got the honors first. “This is Jordan Altair Jr., or JJ as we call him. JJ, this is my mom, Luann.”
JJ held out his hand, which my mom ignored and hugged him tight. When she pulled back, she nodded, confirmation she accepted him. “It’s good to meet you, JJ.” She turned to me. “He’s very handsome, Greer.” I laughed. She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.
“And you remember Dexen,” I said. I was nervous. This was my mom and what she thought mattered to me. I wouldn’t stop being with them if she didn’t like them, but damn, I wanted her to.
Dexen engulfed her in a hug and lifted her off her feet. She was grinning when he put her down. Mom patted his cheek and nodded.
“I approve, Greer,” she said, turning to me.
“Even if you didn’t, they’re here for good.”
“Yes, I know. Two handsome men. Our family keeps getting bigger.” She grinned. “Now come inside. I’m freezing to death.”
“It’s fifty degrees out.”
“And I’m used to living in Florida. My ass is cold. In the house, all of you.” Only my mom could order around three grown men who towered over her.
Dominic, Perry, and my brother were inside, each busy at the counter, helping make dinner.
“You put them to work?” I asked. “Even Perry?” He looked miserable whisking something in a bowl.
“You baby that man. He needs to learn how to cook for my boys.” She stepped up to him and pinched his cheek. “Less junk food, Perry. I don’t know how you keep up with Pey and Dom. You need to eat balanced meals not sugar piled with sugar.”
Dominic hip checked her when she went to the stove next to him, dipping her finger in a pot and tasting it. “Good.” At least he had clothes on today. Not that my mom would criticize him, but she didn’t need to see his dick while visiting.
We had the week planned out for her. During the days when we were at work, she was going to visit friends she hadn’t seen in a while. She was dragging Dominic with her, which he was happy about. He loved working evenings and nights, but he got bored during the day. She wanted us here for dinners except Dexen because he had a club to run, though she insisted he join us for Sunday dinner and her last night here next week.
Dexen and JJ were put to work setting the table while I rolled up my sleeves and helped in the kitchen, taking over making the dessert which Perry did a terrible job at. He was grateful and slinked off to hide until the food was ready. I had no doubt he was going into his office to work for a bit since he had to leave early.
PJS was doing well; the quarterly numbers were strong. That meant Perry had to stay on top of things to keep the company thriving. At least he could do it from here where he had a full setup to work.
An hour later, we sat down to a home-cooked meal. Dominic and my mom had been slow cooking a stew they started as soon as they got here. She had asked Dominic to stop at the store on their way from the airport. I missed her cooking. We could try and replicate it, but it was never the same. Mom made the best comfort food. There were baskets of fresh rolls too. There needed to be a lot to eat when there were six men to be fed, in addition to her.
Perry had known my mom for a long time, since we were all in high school together after we moved here. She loved him like he was her own. Dominic seemed to warm up to her quickly, not that I had any doubt. They’d talked on video chat repeatedly. She knew what he did for a living, fully supporting him, though she said she had no desire to see him shake his ass on stage since she considered him family.
Dexen took to seeing her again like he’d been a part of us forever. He and my mom laughed and joked. It warmed my heart.
JJ was the one who had me fighting tears though. He’d been without his mom since he was three. My mom didn’t know what happened, only that it was tragic and traumatizing for him. When we first sat down to dinner, she told him to sit next her and Dexen and I could deal with not having our hands on him for a meal.
While we talked and had a good time, I noticed my mom kept whispering to him, touching his hand, brushing the hair from his face that had fallen forward. She even buttered a roll and handed it to him. She was mothering JJ and, damn, did it make me want to scoop her up and hug her again.
